My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness Chapter 153

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#153

Imperial Rebellion (3)

Kwaaang—!

“Whoa!”

“What is happening all of a sudden?!”

The capital of the empire, Jerone, which had enjoyed a long period of peace as the most powerful nation on the continent, was suddenly filled with loud noises and screams.

[Kihihihi!]

[Ugh···.]

Countless ghosts fly through the air, wailing and howling.

Chaeng—! Chaang!

“Stop it!”

“You guys! Where the hell do you think this is!”

The garrison troops and noble guards stationed throughout the capital clashed fiercely with the followers of evil, including the undead who attacked.

But out of all of them, there was one place that stood out the most…

Naturally, the place was the Imperial Palace, located right in the center of the capital.

[Kuwaraaa——!]

[Kiyaaaa——!]

A dragon’s roar that strikes fear into those who hear it.

And at the same time.

Two black lines of energy, symbolizing death, descended upon the palace.

Kwaaaang! Kwaaaang!

Fortunately, the brilliant silver barrier surrounding the palace succeeded in blocking the terrible energy, but those gathered inside could never smile.

Because I could feel the barrier shaking noticeably every time I blocked an attack.

“Hah! Not only the Immortal King, but even the Bone Dragons…! What is the current damage?!”

“There are only 4 stragglers left so far! But if the attacks continue at this rate, I can’t guarantee how long the others will be able to hold out!”

The Grand Mage, Marquis Laurence, the tower lord of the Imperial Palace Magic Tower, stood on the magic circle that formed the center of the barrier and glared at the image that appeared before his eyes, gritting his teeth.

The dragons retreated after the interception magic activated right after the breath, but the Immortal King Hans paid no attention to it and prepared a follow-up attack while raising a black aura of death.

“Damn it! The next attack is coming! Everyone brace for impact!”

Kuuuung—!

As soon as he finished speaking, an explosion erupted, and a huge shock of magical power began to flow back through the barrier surrounding the palace.

“Cough!”

“Ugh… I’m sorry. I can’t do this anymore….”

Additionally, two wizards who could not overcome the accumulated shock retreated from the magic circle, turning blue.

This brings the total number of people left behind to six.

Even though I was only helping to maximize the effectiveness of the barrier, the aftereffects continued to be so severe that it was difficult to endure even that.

‘Of course, the only ones who are left are the young ones who are still learning, but right now, even one hand is urgent. If they keep leaving one by one like this, even the high-ranking magicians will have a hard time holding on.’

If Lawrence himself had just clenched his teeth and focused on defense, he might have been able to last for a few hours, but without a counterattack, he would just end up being a sandbag.

There was no point in continuing the current situation, since we didn’t know what would happen next.

“Huh, Viscount Pristine! The palace is in chaos, so where the hell are you and what are you doing right now? Surely you’re not still sticking by the princess’ side in this situation?!”

There were a total of three archmages residing in the palace.

One of them attended the summit with the crown prince, and the other, Lee Se-ah, was still missing.

Surely you still don’t fully grasp the situation?

“That… That, I found out… Viscount Pristine left the palace with the princess this morning.”

“What? Why are you out there right now? And with the princess?”

Even as Marquis Lawrence was flustered, the backflow of magical power continued.

They were only able to continue their conversation after two more wizards had fallen behind.

“Wait a minute, by the way, didn’t His Highness the Crown Prince say he would be returning from the Holy Land today?”

“That’s right. Well, actually, it’s already past the scheduled time… If we look at the timing, it’s probably somewhere in that mess by now….”

“···Oh my goodness. The timing is really shitty.”

Eventually, he had no choice but to close his eyes tightly.

At this critical moment, two archmages and two heirs to the throne are both out there.

Not in the safest place, but somewhere out there where you never know what danger you might face.

Kwaaang—!

But, as if he didn’t care about his miserable state of mind, the Immortal King’s attacks continued without stopping.

***

Kwaaang—!

Another loud explosion erupted from the direction of the palace.

“Your Highness, please come this way.”

As Isiah lightly pulled Princess Riley towards her and stretched out one hand into the air, a blue aura instantly gathered and blocked one of the flying pieces of stone.

“···Thank you, Viscount Pristine.”

They were having a formal conversation with the attendants and escorts around them, but they were able to share each other’s feelings with just their eyes and moved on to find a safe place again.

‘It’s just that this has to happen now. If you’re going to give a warning, please be more specific.’

Isiah sighed inwardly and blamed the poor school.

It was an inevitable choice for the princess and her entourage to leave the palace on the day the crown prince returned.

As he used the warning from the religious community as an excuse to send additional troops to protect himself, it was apparent that he was trying to exert influence over the military.

When political issues get involved, even the princess can’t just sit still.

In an already disadvantaged situation, I couldn’t afford to be late in responding, and I was even thinking of using this to my advantage and using it as a springboard for a counterattack.

‘It seems like it was a waste of time now.’

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However, the warning from the church was that ‘something will happen in Jeron soon’, so it was not possible to just hide in the palace indefinitely.

Who would believe in and follow a leader who is so afraid of that one abstract word that he won’t even leave his house?

‘Even if I’m a great magician, I can’t just teleport as soon as the capital’s defense barrier is activated. I need an authorized magic circle to move safely… No, there’s no way they’d leave the passage open when the palace is under attack like that.’

There may be an escape route for the command center in case of an emergency, but all entrances would have been blocked to prevent enemy infiltration.

In the end, they had no choice but to give up on returning to the palace and try to survive on their own outside of it.

‘It’s a bit far, but I think it’s safest to go to the main temple and use the gate. If possible, I’ll leave everyone else behind and just take Riley…’

“ah.”

As Lee Se-ah was leading the group while coming up with a solution, she stopped without realizing it.

As she continued to move, she secretly spread her magical power and explored her surroundings, and her senses sensed a very familiar aura.

“Count Pristine? What’s going on?”

“that is···.”

Even as she opened her mouth to answer Princess Riley’s question, her expression remained frowned upon and did not seem to soften.

That would be the case, this magic I feel now…

“It seems that His Highness the Crown Prince is nearby.”

This aura, which, like her, was scattering magical powers and searching the surroundings, was clearly that of Count Garfield, who had attended the summit meeting with the Crown Prince.

He must have known his location as much as he had sensed him.

No matter how bad the situation was, considering the things the crown prince had done, it wouldn’t be a good idea to be with him.

Riley frowned slightly, as if she was thinking the same thing.

“···They are approaching this way. What should we do?”

But it seems that their judgment was different from theirs.

Well, even if the dirty deeds were done by the crown prince, this side always kept to a certain line, so their thoughts couldn’t help but be different.

There was still quite a distance between them, but it was difficult to avoid them now.

The fifth princess who ran away in fear of the crown prince, the egoist who refused to join forces in a crisis, the petty person who abandoned the cause and prioritized personal feelings…

Because I didn’t know what kind of frame they would try to put on this.

“Whew— There’s nothing we can do about it now that it’s come to this. Everyone, stay alert until the very end, and make sure you don’t show any weaknesses.”

Finally, at the moment when they were about to take steps towards the crown prince and his party, they had made up their minds.

“ah?”

Issae paused again and turned her head to one side.

In a similar direction to where the Crown Prince and his entourage were, but a little further away…

“This is···.”

A hot, passionate, and brilliant energy like the blazing sun.

Gooooooo—

Coming at a furious pace.

Phew!

It passed them by, leaving behind only a violent aftershock and a trail of light.

“Whoa!”

“Hurry up, hurry up…!”

The maids closed their eyes and turned their heads in the sudden gust of wind, and the knights who were in charge of escorting the princess swallowed dryly with their swords half-raised.

He was someone who left a strong impression on them just by passing by, but in reality, that wasn’t important right now.

Issae, who knew it well, immediately raised her senses and turned her head towards the palace where the energy was directed.

Then, as if on cue, there.

Kuuuuung—!

A strong aftermath began to spread along with a loud noise that was incomparable to anything seen before.

Fortunately, it was contained thanks to the barrier surrounding the entire capital, but it was a shockwave of a different dimension than anything that had erupted before.

“···Saint, Heinrich St. Landgard···.”

As the energy emanated from the source, boiling, Isiah unconsciously whispered his name.

“Huh? By any chance, was it the saint who just passed by?”

“Huh? Are you talking about the saint of the Jushin Church? That warrior···!”

“Sir, the saint just passed by us? Oh, my lord!”

The princess and everyone else reacted to her monologue at the same time.

There may even be believers who pray to God without knowing it.

But that is what a saint is.

If we really have to compare them, they are on the same level as the Emperor… no, in the current crisis situation on the continent, they should be considered higher.

‘If you think about it, you could say that man is the main character of this world.’

The savior of this world chosen by God.

Of course, the burden of that heavy name would always be weighing on his shoulders.

Sacrifice and dedication must have been a daily routine for him.

It was necessary to view him as a great person a million light years away from Lee Se-ah, who found it burdensome to even take care of one person.

‘···What is that person thinking right now?’

Whether it was a sense of responsibility for this situation, or some lofty sense of mission… she probably would never understand him again.

***

“Don’t panic and keep your formation! The barrier is still intact!”

“Do not act rashly! You are the proud imperial guard of the empire! Do you intend to disappoint His Majesty the Emperor?”

Heinrich licked his lips lightly as he heard the loud chatter of those preparing for battle at the boundary of the barrier.

‘Your timing was perfect.’

The Jeron Daeshinjeon was located on the outskirts of the imperial capital.

In fact, excluding the Holy Land, the situation was similar not only in Jeron but also in any place where a facility larger than a temple was located.

Not only was the land it occupied vast, but the rulers of the land were not particularly pleased with the armed groups such as the Knights Templar and the Holy Knights who resided there.

This is only natural, since this was the capital of an empire where even the emperor resided.

In fact, ordinary residents used small prayer halls and temples located throughout the city, so accessibility to the main shrine, which was like a special facility, was not particularly important.

But that meant that the distance between the imperial palace and the grand temple in the center of the capital had to be that far.

The story was that unless you had superhuman abilities like Heinrich, you wouldn’t be able to cover that distance in a short period of time.

‘Yes, just like the crown prince who was still wandering around in an awkward place… I didn’t know there would be Ise-ah and the 5th princess.’

Kikkikkik! Kwaang!

He swung his lightsaber, knocking away the black scythe blocking his way, then immediately rushed back to the Immortal King and cut through the aura of death.

[Kuhahaha! As expected! I knew you would stand in my way. My only adversary, Heinrich! I don’t know how you knew and came here so quickly, but a warrior should do that much. Keuhehe!]

“All things in the world are under the will of the Lord. You too cannot escape that fate! Like all the immortal kings of the past, you too will soon follow in their footsteps, Hannibal!”

The Immortal King and the Knight of Light face off against the backdrop of the imperial palace surrounded by splendid light.

On that fantastic stage, like a fairy tale, an ominous voice that seemed to have come from hell and a firm voice full of conviction resonated together and thundered.

[Koooooo——!]

[Kyaaaaah——!]

As if to add harmony to him, the bone dragons that had been circling the sky, avoiding the rays extending from the palace, looked down at Heinrich and roared in unison.

But the Immortal King waved his hand lightly as if to block any further intervention and looked down at him again.

[It’s funny, it’s really funny. Heinrich St. Landgard, the Knight of Light. Do you know? Every time I face you, every time you block my path, I feel more alive. Even though I’m already dead!]

He raised his head and looked up at the sky, his arms wide open, as if he were trying to embrace the world in his arms.

[Okay—! Teach me more, teach me more. Life! The will to live! A firm mind that will not break even in the face of death!]

Even though it is a voice that is created by magical power and does not convey any emotion, it feels deep···.

It was just an ‘obsession’ with what I didn’t have.

And as if responding to that, Heinrich, enveloped in auspicious light, slowly raised the holy sword and opened his mouth.

“Now I know for sure. Why that revelation came to me that day.”

The light of the sword blade moving gracefully beautifully embroidered the air, and the tip of the sword finally aimed precisely at the Immortal King.

As if it were a play.

“This too is God’s guidance.”

It was really a play though.

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